Reality bites
by Lady of Earth
Summary: Chapter 4 uploaded: Kenshin and Co. are off to look for the mysterious lady, Usagi and Wufei are stuck in Tokyo and the senshi...are having too much fun. UsagiWufei)
1. Reality bites

Despite the title of this story, this is as far from reality as it can get. After all, this deals with the mix of the Gundam and Sailor Moon timeline not to mention deals with time travel.

**Reality Bites**

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters mentioned in this story

She drummed her fingers over the counter, silently and discreetly watching the group of guys who were sitting around one of the tables. She had seen them a couple of time before and from further 'research' which happened to be a question-answer session with Motoki and 'gossip central' a.k.a. Minako, she found out their names. Especially HIS name.

What is it with her and dark-haired men anyway? Although she had to admit, this latest crush of hers has a different hairstyle than Mamoru's short hair. He had much longer hair and he had it braided. The thought of her ex-boyfriend however, made her scrunch up her face. 'The little weasel.' She fumed silently, taking an exceptionally large bite out of her cake. Motoki and Makoto, who had been watching her raised their eyebrows at the sudden change of mood.

"What's up, Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked. Usagi gulped down the large bite and shook her head, before banging her fist on the counter.

"I hate men!" She exclaimed, before slipping back into her usual brooding mood. Makoto let out a sigh. The blonde has been like that for over two months now. Ever since Usagi found out that her ex-boyfriend had been cheating on her, she's been the newest and most dangerous addition to the natural hazard list.

Motoki, on the other hand, looked nervously around the arcade. Most of the guys there were looking at the blonde now...Scratch that, most of the guys there were looking at the blonde **with disappointment **now. After all, she had caught attention of most of the male customers there.

"Usagi, you broke up with the ass two months ago, shouldn't you forget about him?" Makoto asked. 

"Not until I get my revenge." Growled Usagi, taking the last bite out of her cake.

"Then why don't you?"

"I promised Rei I wouldn't." Usage replied with a sigh. Makoto shook her head.

"She's not the boss in you. Why not have a little payback?" Usagi sat in silence for a moment, thinking it through.

"Yeah. I can hit him over the head with a mallet before he goes to his class... or maybe I can get onee-san to run him over with her car...No, why not just drop the whole continent of Asia on his head and see whether his ego survives it!" The blonde would have rambled on, except for the fact that she was (miraculously) out of breath. Makoto took a sip of her tea, looked at her friend and said,

"Dream on, Usagi-chan."

Usagi let out an exasperated sigh and let her head fall onto the counter with a loud bang. All of the customers, including the boys Usagi were looking at (save one) winced at the sound. All thinking that had to hurt.

"Reality bites." The blonde said, voice muffled. Makoto patted her head and sipped at her tea.

The loud bang of head hitting the counter caused him to look at her direction. He had noticed her from before, caught her glancing to the table he sat at a few times. But that was after he found out that she goes to the same school as Quatre. Most likely she was looking at the blond than at anyone else at the table. He nearly snorted at the thought of anyone being interested in him. Other than Meiran, he really had no interest in women.

But this blonde one sure caught his attention all of a sudden. Perhaps it was because at times, her blue eyes matched his own. It wasn't the color but the sadness hidden within the pool of happiness at the surface. Too bad really that she seems to hate men. Maybe it was karma in his part. He nearly laughed at the thought. Among his fellow pilots, he's infamous for his lectures on women being weak and never could stand being near one for too long.

"Mako-chan, I'll see you later, OK?" The blonde said, slipping off the stool.

"Where are you going?" 'Mako-chan' asked the blonde, Usagi, he thinks she's called.

"I've got to go to my...art class." Usagi said. He frowned for a moment, finding something odd in the way she said it. It seemed almost as if she's not telling the truth.

"OK then, see you at the temple."

"Later, Mako-chan." And the blonde goddess walked out of the arcade, causing all of the male to turn their heads and watch her leave.

He shook his head at all the attention she was getting, but then again he couldn't really blame those guys. She's absolutely beautiful. 

He turned his head and looked at his friends and nearly face vaulted to the floor as he looked at Duo, who looked as if he was on cloud nine. Quatre was sipping at his empty glass of coke and even Trowa seemed distracted...for Trowa. It was Heero that was left unaffected, he was listening to something on his discman and reading some book. A funny sight really, but at least it was better than having him point a gun at Duo or any other dangerous object for that matter...That was his job.

An evil grin spread across his face as he looked at the brown haired braided pilot sitting across from him, who was still much out of it. He swung his leg and kicked the other pilot hard on the shin. He had expected Duo's high-pitched cry of pain, but found instead that the other pilot didn't even flinch. 

He gave up after repeating the action a few times, but still Duo seem to be either heavily sedated or still staring at the table of girls across the room. He sighed and shook his head, looking at the ceiling as he thought of the blonde once more.

He'd really like to get to know her, but was that even possible for him? After all, he IS a pilot...Correction, ex-pilot, but a pilot nonetheless. These days none of the girls really go for pilots especially not Gundam pilots. Although many of them would comment on how 'cute' or 'hot' they are, but the idea of dating one of them...Only the real attention seekers would do it.

Not one girl has ever taken an interest in any of them because of who they are inside and not because of their profession and what they've done in the past. Well, that's not really the case with Heero. 

Would an ordinary 16 year old girl really be interested in someone like him? He had seen so many things in his young age, he was only 17, he still had a lifetime ahead of him. And he would like for it, very much, to be spent with someone by his side. He had always left that place for Meiran, but he knows better than to wait for a ghost, someone who will never appear in his life again.

He shook his head, swallowing his bitter laugh. Instead he looked back at the table, his friends now talking on some new Preventers story. 'Reality bites.' He thought, quoting the blonde.

"You're late Usagi." The dark haired girl chided, but she was smiling.

"I know, sorry." Usagi said, rather breathless. It still amazes her how this girl can be her teacher. Her waist-length dark hair was always tied up to a ponytail whenever she had lessons. But she was like two different people when teaching and when not. When she teaches, her eyes would turn into a darker, determined shade of hazel. Although when she's at home or around town, she acts so gentle and graceful...most of the times.

"That's all right, Usagi." She said with a chuckle. Though like always, the vision of grace was disrupted by the presence of the young boy. The short, spiky haired boy appeared from behind her, scowling.

"When are we going to start busu?" He demanded. Usagi shook her head, half-disgusted and half-amused by the boy's rude manners. A smack across the head was what he received as an answer.

"Not busu, Yahiko-**chan**. My name is Kaoru but I remind you that since it's lesson time, you must call me sensei." Usagi giggled as Yahiko and Kaoru began to bicker as usual. She find it so amusing to watch the two, they can go on for hours. A soft sigh made her turn her head.

The red haired man, short in stature watched the scene while shaking his head. "That's the 10th time today." He said softly. There was something that makes Usagi admire him. Maybe it was his purple eyes that would turn amber at times, but that's only if there are any trouble. The trouble comes mostly from the men of the town that would come and try to bother Kaoru.

There was no denying it, Kamiya Kaoru is attractive and eyed by many men, especially those at the dojo in the other town. But Usagi knew from the first day she saw Kaoru and Kenshin together that Kaoru cares for him very much. Why not indeed, as he helped her through the hardest times of her life, just after her father died. Running the dojo wasn't easy, especially because the main teacher is a girl.

Kaoru is 17, just a year older than Usagi and yet she's already managing on her own. She admired the two of them, both caring very much for each other and would do anything to protect the other from harm. She would find herself grow jealous at times, but only because she wanted that comfort as well. After all, they were two of her favorite persons.

"Kaoru-sensei, shouldn't we begin the lesson now and ignore Yahiko-chan?" Usagi suggested, hiding her grin as Yahiko's face grew red. The young boy never seem to be too confident with her arrival at the dojo. 

She had stumbled upon the place by accident, because she had to get away one day. But after she got to know Kaoru, Kenshin, Yahiko and Sanosuke, she finally decided to learn some martial arts herself there. When she first started, Yahiko couldn't concentrate much which caused Kaoru to throw a fit at the young boy. It was actually funny to see. 

Sanosuke is the other teacher at the dojo...if you can even call him one. He used to be a troublemaker apparently, before he met Kenshin. Then the two became friends and Sano offered to help out at the dojo. Sano's trademark however, comes in the form of his unusual hair style. His nickname "Chicken head" fits his hair style perfectly.

"You're right, Usagi. Come on Yahiko-chan." Kaoru said, winking at Usagi. The two girls laughed as the young boy tried his best (and failed) not to blush and shout at them at the same time. Sitting at the sides was Kenshin, looking away as not to smile and Sano, who had come in and laughed his head off.

"Thanks Kaoru, I'll see you next week then." Usagi said with a wave. Kaoru frowned.

"Aren't you coming on Saturday, Usagi?" She asked the blonde, even Yahiko stopped from his 1000 swings of his bokken to listen.

"Iie, gomen ne. I have to be with my friends, they're starting to get worried about me." Usagi said. Sano however, snorted at her answer.

"You've been taking lessons for two months now and they just noticed?" He asked. Usagi smiled and sighed.

"I'm not asking you to understand them, as they don't understand me, but they've saved my life more than one occasion. I owe them the assurance that I'm all right." Usagi replied softly, the nodded her head and began to walk away. Sano shook his head, watching her go.

"Let her be, Sano. It seems to me that she's having some problems in her life right now." Kaoru said.

"That's an understatement."

"She told me about her ex-boyfriend and how she hated being dependent on her friends. I think she's been through a lot, we should let her be." Kaoru said, watching as Usagi took a left turn and her form couldn't be seen any more.

"There's one thing that's odd though." Kenshin said thoughtfully.

"What is that Kenshin?"

"She comes here two up to three times a week and always walks up here. The next town to here is two miles and no one has ever heard of a Tsukino Usagi before." Kenshin said.

"You asked around for her?" Sano asked, Kenshin nodded.

"Maybe she wasn't from that town, maybe from another." Yahiko suggested, but it was Sano who shook his head.

"The other towns are too far away, she would have to come by horse or such. But surely people would notice horses coming more than once a week and no one has ever seen them."

"Are you saying we can't trust her?" Kaoru asked.

"We can. She's not dangerous at all, I can sense that." Kenshin said.

"But then-" Yahiko didn't finish his sentence.

"I did find a family called Tsukino in the village however, but there was no one name Usagi. When I described her, people seem to believe she's this woman from Kyoto who has been said to have helped a lot of people."

"But she can't have come from Kyoto!" Exclaimed Kaoru.

"Well, the woman's name isn't Usagi anyway." Sano said. Kenshin looked at him, half-surprised.

"How do you know?" He asked, while Sano grinned.

"I asked around too. The woman in Kyoto had a foreign name anyway."

"What was it?"

"Serenity."

Not too far away from the Kamiyakashin dojo, Usagi had gone into a thick forest, her usual stop. She looked around as to make sure no one had followed her. After knowing for sure all was clear, she took the key out of her pocket. She grinned as she looked at it.

It was awfully nice of Pluto to lend it to her for the time being. But after all, with the senshi acting as they are... No one really understands her. The irony of this, of course, was that the only place she could find people to understand her was in the past.

She goes there through the gates, making sure all was clear first before she steps through the time stream. Pluto taught her a thing or two. In her past life, she had been living there, well not in Edo exactly... 

She lived in Kyoto and she lead a quiet life there without a bother from anyone. Of course, the Meiji Restoration did leave her family impoverished, so she wasn't born into wealth, but they had somehow managed to get back on their feet and lived. That was all they needed really, to keep on living and not to have all the treasures of the world. She learnt that lesson then and had kept that teaching with her at all times.

If there was peace in the world, she will be satisfied, that is all she needs.

"Tadaima." She said, as she closed the front door. The silence of the house greeted her and she let out a soft sigh. Why did she have to torture herself like this?

She walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. After rummaging around, she finally decided on some rice and a few other things. She wasn't even sure what she took out, as long as it's edible. She dumped her food on a plate and walked to the living room.

She sat down and switched the television on as she looked at her plate of...stuff. Couldn't be bothered to heat the food up, she swallowed the food on her plate in one gulp. She winced slightly, not really knowing what she ate. But there was hardly any food in the fridge that she had no choice.

"Should've gone for the ramen." She said to herself as she focused on the television instead. Not long afterwards, the front door opened. 

"Imouto?"

"Living room." She replied, her eyes never leaving the television screen. A moment later, a tall woman with short blonde hair walked in the room. She was wearing a black biker jacket, white shirt and black pants. She held her helmet in one hand and her keys in the other.

"Have you eaten?" She asked, running her fingers through her short hair. Usagi nodded silently, only looking up once and looking back at the television.

"Honestly, you should ask Mako to cook you some real food, instead of eating what's leftover in the fridge." Haruka said, pointing at the empty plate on the table. Usagi shrugged and Haruka sat down beside her, eyes filled with concern.

"Down time again?" She asked.

"I don't know." Usagi muttered, half-ignoring her.

"Imouto, it's been a month, you should move on." Silence. "I know it's hard to break up with your boyfriend and then lose your family in a short while, but you have to get through this."

After a long silence, the short-haired blonde let out a sigh in defeat and got off the couch. She began walking to the kitchen, muttering something under her breath. Usagi looked up and her eyes flashed with guilt.

If it hadn't been for Haruka, she wouldn't have made it. It was by sheer luck that she found Haruka is really her older sister, just a year ago. Their parents had died when they were young and Usagi was adopted by the Tsukino family while still a baby and Haruka was given to the Tenou family, who had been a close friend of their parents'.

But happiness doesn't last forever as she found out, the hard way. She didn't even know why she had let her parents and Shingo go to that stupid reunion anyway. But it had been important for her father and she had been reluctant to go. If she only had come, maybe she wouldn't have been left alone. Maybe not truly alone, but she felt she's alone.

Mako was the only one who treated her the same and unlike the others. Mina, Rei and Ami treated her as if she was ready to break down and cry at any second in front of them all. They never mention the word parents or anything that might remind her of her parents and Shingo. They had been careless once and mentioned Shingo's old school once and apologized about a thousand times to her. It drove her insane. Luckily for her, Mako came to the rescue by changing the subject.

She knows her friends mean well but she also knows that they were much too different to begin with. With Mako and Mina, she can act herself at least, although Mina sometimes acts too cautious with her words, but otherwise she's a great company. 

Maybe the reason why Mako can be so understanding is because she's an orphan too. At that thought, she nearly laughed. She had been an orphan since the beginning, except that she hadn't known she was adopted until her fifteenth birthday.

But even before that day, she had always thought something wasn't right. She had never seen a picture of her mother carrying her out of the hospital. The earliest of her childhood pictures had been taken when she was 14 months and she knew her parents had taken a billion pictures of Shingo when he was just a day old.

Then the whole truth came out when she confronted her parents about it. It hadn't been a total shock, but she did rush to her room at the revelation. She just needed time to think, to figure out who she really is.

"Imouto, daijoubu ka?" Haruka asked. Usagi snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Haruka, who had sat down next to her. She eyed the plate filled with chocolate bars, leftover from a frozen TV dinner from last night and even some fruit and vegetables.

She giggled and shook her head. "Maybe you should think about doing the groceries some time soon, onee-san." Usagi said.

"Hey, it's because of your sweet tooth that I have to eat these chocolate bars, hime." Haruka said. Usagi quieted down for a moment. One thing about Haruka that will never change is the constant use of the title 'hime', despite their blood relation.

"You and your hime." Usagi muttered, grabbing the remote control just as Haruka reached for it.

"Hey!" The Outer senshi cried. Usagi stuck out her tongue in reply.

"For calling me 'hime', I get the remote control for tonight."

"But there's a F1 race on channel 3!" Complained Haruka.

"I don't care, there's a Three Lights special on channel 2."

"What? You'd rather watch those idiots than watch an F1 race?"

"Let me see..." Usagi said, pretending to think it over. "Yes."

And the two ensued in a battle for the remote controls with Usagi's laughter and Haruka's shouts filling the once silent house.

"Hey Wu-man, can I borrow your notes?" Wufei growled and turned to snap at the American.

"No, you can't borrow my notes, Maxwell! And don't call me Wu-man!" He shouted. Trowa looked up from his book to shake his head at the two. While Heero continued on typing away at his laptop. 

Quatre was the only one out of the five pilots that was transferred to a different high school. And a lucky one too, because he's in Usagi's school. Wufei shook his head, trying to get the blonde out of his head.

None of them was used to the fact that they weren't Gundam pilots anymore. Or that instead of joining Preventers, they were forced to go to school instead. To Wufei, that was humiliation beyond belief. To Duo, it was a "drag" as the American put it, complaining about the amount of work they would have to do. Trowa had no real distinctive reaction to it, but they could see that he would rather go back to the circus than join this clown show. Heero didn't voice his opinion, but his death glare at Dr. J and his constant mutterings of "Omae o korosu" made certain that he wasn't a happy camper either.

"Come on, Wu-man! I have to pass English or Une-san will kill me!" Whined Duo. It didn't take long for the Chinese pilot to take his katana out of its sheath. And it took an even shorter time for the American to get a head start from Wufei. 

"Maxwell, get your ass back here!" He shouted, while swinging his katana wildly. The two didn't even know that they were running out of the house and into the street. 

"Should we go after them?" Asked Quatre. 

"Hn." grunted Heero.

"........." um....said....Trowa. 

"Well, if you guys really think so." Quatre said with a sigh. 

Duo didn't even know when or **how **he collided into the girl, but he did. He opened his mouth, ready to apologize when a cold shade of blue eyes flashed with sudden anger at him. Duo Maxwell found himself looking at a glaring goddess in front of him. 

Long, cascading rivers of golden hair tumbled down and the pool of now icy cold blue was glaring at him with such anger that he thought he'd freeze on the spot. She pushed herself to her feet, dusting her clothing from dust. 

"Baka deshi." She muttered angrily, before picking up her bag that had been thrown a couple of feet away due to the impact. 

"Gomen ne, I was trying to save myself." He said, apologizing. She looked up at him, anger gone from her eyes, this time replaced by curiosity. 

"Save yourself from what?" She asked. Suddenly, he gulped, completely forgetting about the crazed katana-wielding pilot. He turned around quickly, only to nearly faint to the ground when he saw the picture of the Chinese dragon heading his way at top speed. Suddenly he did what all his instinct was screaming for him to do. 

He hid behind the girl. 

She looked in amazement at the dark brown haired braided man and another man with braided hair, but this time jet black, holding what appears to be a katana. Being a near-expert in combat skills as well as kendo, she quickly dodge the oncoming blow. With lightning quick swiftness, she kicked her foot in the air, connecting with the handle of the katana. The sound of the metal clattering on the asphalt ground rang in the ears of the three. 

She nearly gasped as she realized who the man was. It was the man at the arcade, the one she had been staring at for nearly half an hour. Luckily she quickly hid her surprised and eyed the two men. 

"I can see why you're trying to save yourself." She said with amusement to Duo. The ex-pilot grinned and hopped to his feet. 

"Duo Maxwell." He said, extending his hand. Usagi smirked and shook his hand. 

"Usagi Tsukino." She said, before turning to Wufei. "And you?" 

Wufei folded his arms to his chest, temporarily and miraculously, forgetting his precious katana. "Wufei Chang." He replied defiantly. She ignored the attitude, too many had she heard guys talking like that. She was never intimidated by any of them. Actually, once you hang around someone like Sano, you tend to feel less and less intimated by other men. Sanosuke and Kenshin can be a deadly combination when combating others together. They make a great team. 

"I'm curious to why you two are running around like madmen around Tokyo," she paused, eyeing Wufei's fallen katana. "But I'm afraid to ask." She finished, her tone light and teasing, even flirtatious. That caused Wufei's hair to stand on end (not literally). There was something about that girl that made _her _intimidating, in a way. But what can be so intimidating from a girl so small and so...innocent? 

"What's an onna like you doing here anyway?" 

"Well it's not illegal, last time I checked." She replied smoothly. There was a distinctive snort of laughter coming from Duo and she turned around to grin at the braided one, even offering a wink. Not knowing of course, that even a wink can boost Duo's ego by 150%. Wufei growled but didn't say anything. Instead he picked up his katana and turn to glare at Duo. 

"Let's go." He barked at the American. "Heero will kill YOU for being late." 

"Nani? Why always me? He never tries to kill you, Wu-man!" Protested Duo. 

"That's because Heero has no problems with me. And don't call me Wu-man!" Shouted Wufei. Duo grinned. 

"Sure...Wu-man." At that he turned to Usagi and flashed her his typical Duo Maxwell grin. "See you around, gorgeous." He drawled as he ran off, ahead of Wufei. But the usually woman-hating Chinese looked at Usagi with a different glow in his eyes. 

"See you." He managed to mutter before rushing off, after Duo. Usagi blinked in amazement, before smiling brightly. Whoever this Wufei Chang might be...she's very interested in finding out more about him. 

"Why are you looking so chipper today?" Asked Haruka. Usagi grinned, deliberately not replying to the question as she snatched the remote control from the older blonde's grasp and switched to a different channel. 

"Hey! I was watching that!" Haruka protested, scowling at the younger blonde. "Since you have the remote, the least you can do is answer the question." 

"Just met someone today." Usagi replied happily. Haruka raised an eyebrow. 

"Who might this someone be?" Asked Haruka with suspicion. 

"Just some guy," Before Usagi could continue, her onee-san practically jumped at her sentence. 

"A guy! Imouto, you do realize what you're putting yourself into? Think of the heartbreak! Think of the potential danger this guy could become!" She exclaimed. Usagi rolled her eyes, disbelieving that Haruka had yet gone into her protective onee-san mode. 

"Honestly! It's not as if I'm going to go off and ask him out or anything!" She said. 

"But you can't deny on the potential of that, can you?" 

Usagi grinned. "True." 

"Aha! See? You shouldn't do this to yourself, imouto! Guys are evil! They will ruin your life and take all your money and leave you alone, poor and desolated!" 

"Gee guys seem so frightening. What are their use in the world? Lets eradicate them all." Usagi said dryly. Haruka growled at her. 

"You know what I mean." 

"Yes I do. Too well I'm afraid. Which is exactly why I'm going to IGNORE that warning." Usagi said, despite Haruka's protests. But she ignored Haruka's rants and focused on the television instead. Finally, exasperated, Haruka gave up the attempt. 

He didn't know how he found himself in the park, but Wufei wasn't in the mood for that. He sat down on an empty bench, watching people walk by. It was another sunny day and apparently, the park seem to call the presence of all sorts of people. Most of them families and couples. He let out a sound that seem to be mixed of a growl and a snort and looked away. 

Imagine his surprise when he saw the blonde he saw yesterday. Usagi. 

He frowned, after assessing the scene. She seems to be in a heated argument with one dark-haired man. He looked about 20-21 years old. 'What would Usagi be doing with that guy?' Sounds of the argument drifted towards him, causing him to narrow his eyes. 

"-come near me again! How many times do I have to tell you that?" Usagi shouted. The dark haired man narrowed his eyes dangerously, seizing her arm. 

"Don't play with me, Usagi." He growled. "I don't know what you want but you can't get rid of me that easily. Not even your freak of a sister can keep me away." Usagi's eyes sparked with anger. 

"Leave Haruka out of this! And get the hell away from me! You and I are over! Why don't you go back to your little slut, Mamoru?" Usagi shouted, wrenching her arm out of his grasp. 

'So the bastard's called Mamoru. How ironic.' Wufei thought, standing up all of a sudden. After all, Mamoru doesn't seem to be ready to leave Usagi alone just yet. 

"YOU, listen here you little bitch," He began, hand raised, ready to strike Usagi. Wufei's eyes widened and he began to stride over. But before he could reach them, Usagi had gotten a hold of Mamoru's arm and the next second... 

*WHAM!* 

One very dazed looking Mamoru was lying on his back on the ground, looking up to one scowling Usagi. Luckily she was wearing pants. Wouldn't want him to look up her skirt after all. 

"Listen, Mamoru-san," She said his name in disgust, "Keep away from me and my family and friends. You no longer have any business with us. And if you don't pay any heed to my warning, you'll definitely know how far I've come since we met." She snarled, then turned her heels and began to walk away. 

Not even a few strides away, she stopped suddenly. She had just spotted Wufei. Her cheeks colored slightly and she dropped her head. Embarrassed that he had to witness her argument with Mamoru. But he surprised her with what he said, 

"Daijoubu ka?" Her head snapped up, eyes widening at the question. But seeing his serious face, she nodded slowly. 

"Daijoubu." There was a pause. "What are you doing here?" She asked softly. He shrugged in reply. 

"Just around." He then pointed at Mamoru, who was on his way out of the park, nursing his injuries. "Looks like you've been a little busy." 

"Ex-boyfriend. He won't leave me alone." She explained. 

"Aa, the one you were talking about in the arcade, correct?" She looked at him in shock. 

"How did you know?" 

"Well, I was there with my friends. In fact, I come there everyday." He told her. 

"No, I know you always go there. But how come you heard it? You usually sit far away from the counter." Usagi said. Wufei nearly blushed at what she said. The little revelation that she knew he comes to the arcade everyday and that she knew where he usually sat with his friends, it made him...happy. 

But he managed to mask his true feelings and snorted. "Baka onna, that's because you talk too loud, that's what." He said. 

She shook her head. "How do you do that?" 

"Do what?" 

"Be nice in one second and be a complete asshole in the next?" She asked. 

"It's my nature." He muttered, knowing he blew it. But to his surprise, she grinned. 

"I guess that's what makes you so interesting ne? To me anyway." She said. 

By now, he definitely can feel his cheeks starting to burn. He couldn't help it and he wanted to curse himself for his weakness. He's able to withstand battles that nearly cost him his life and one little comment by one weak girl...well, not so weak, made him as weak as Winner. 

Either she was color blind or she was purposely ignoring it, she didn't make a comment about his blush and instead said, "You know, even though you seem to hate women, there's something about you that makes girls go crazy, you know that?" And with that last comment, she waved at him and walked away, trying to hide a grin. 

So how was it? Hopefully it's OK, but I'm just starting out anyway. It's not "The Missing Soldier", that's for sure. But I love Usagi/Wufei pairings as much as I love Usagi/Heero ones. So please, please, please review! I want to know what you think. 


	2. Duo vs. Wufei...you're kidding right?

AN: Thanks very much for the feedback minna! I'm glad there are also Wufei/Usagi fans out there! I want to thank everyone who took time to review. Especially D-chan, because I'm a major fan of her works! (Now if only she will finish her 'Ai no Zutto' series! I love that one!) 

I will apologize that this chapter is shorter than the first chapter, but I need to keep this one short in order to work on the next chapter. Even though romance should develop slowly over time, most of us tend to go crazy if it's taking too long right? So hopefully by next chapter we'll see some Wufei/Usagi romance, ne? Thanks to Fate's Child for the beta!! 

**Reality Bites**

Part 2: Duo vs. Wufei...you're kidding right? 

Story by: Lady of Earth 

Warning: Insanity, some Duo-moments and ultimately, Wufei rivaling Duo in getting Usagi's attention! Who gets to be the judge? 

"And she was HOT too!" Boasted Duo as he told his account of the meeting with Usagi.  
  
"Usagi? As in Tsukino Usagi?" Quatre asked. Duo nodded enthusiastically. "She goes to my school actually." Quatre commented.  
  
"What? She does?" Duo grabbed hold of Quatre's shirt as he made the blonde face him. "Are you trying to tell me that you actually KNOW this Megami?"  
  
"A-anno, Duo..." Quatre said uncomfortably. Definitely not good to be this close to the 'Shinigami'. Especially because the Shinigami has just ate a ton of garlic pizza...*choke, choke*  
  
"Come on Q-man! You have to tell me every single detail! All the measurements!" Duo exclaimed. Quatre's face turned very red, very fast as the blonde Arabian protested.  
  
"Duo!"  
  
"No, no! Not THOSE!" He paused for a moment, a hentai smirk on his face. "Quatre, my man, I never knew you were a little hentai."  
  
"I'm NOT a hentai! I was merely thinking that because...because..." He stuttered. Maybe he shouldn't say it. Especially not when Duo's mere inches from his face.  
  
"Don't try to deny it!" Duo said cheekily.  
  
By Allah, forget trying to reason with Duo. Just hit him square on the face with the truth.  
  
"Because YOU'RE the hentai mind around here!" Exclaimed Quatre.  
  
"That's true." Duo said, shrugging. "Anyway, back to the Goddess. I meant all the data, all the info, all the run-ins with this babe."  
  
"Which babe?"  
  
"Wu-man! Just the next person I want to see! Waitaminute alright? I want to talk to Q-man first." Duo said.  
  
Wufei raised an eyebrow at how Duo was 'talking' to Quatre. "If that's how you have your little talks, no thanks. I think I'll go and polish my katana." He said, stressing the word 'katana'. He didn't need to do that, Duo wasn't even listening to him.  
  
"Look Duo, I can't give you any information about her!"  
  
"Why not?" Demanded Duo as he began to shake Quatre. As if shaking the information out of the blonde would make a difference...  
  
"Because she's in another grade! She's a year younger!" Quatre said frantically.  
  
"Oh." And he promptly released his hold of Quatre's collar. Then he walked towards Wufei.  
  
"You're not coming anywhere near me, Maxwell." Wufei said, voice filled with warning.  
  
"Darn. And I thought I was going to have a little fun today." He said, then he looked around the room, braid snapping at various objects.  
  
'Damn that braided baka. Damn him and his yard-long braid!' Wufei cursed, rubbing a sore cheek where Duo's braid had 'whipped' him a few seconds ago.  
  
"Where's Heero?" Duo asked, as he settled down on the armchair. On the, for some reason, extremely uncomfortable armchair. He then looked up to see Quatre pointing at him with jaw hanging. Eh? To him or something behind him?  
  
Actually, it was to someone he was sitting on.  
  
"He went somewhere." Came the muffled voice of Trowa...that came distinctively from behind his ear. Duo jumped out of the armchair, tumbling to the floor as Trowa got up from the same armchair, dusting off his pants.  
  
Apparently, Duo had been so caught up with drilling Quatre that he had forgotten Trowa was in the room as well. And he had also overlooked the usually quiet pilot who was already sitting on the armchair, before the braided one sat down on the chair...err, on Trowa.  
  
Wufei snorted in laughter at the scene. Now that was something to see! Too bad he didn't have his camera. Duo's look of terror at the voice of Trowa coming out of nowhere was too good to see!  
  
  


  
  
  
"So what are we going to do with this problem?" The man asked, voice gruff. The woman sighed softly, shaking her head.  
  
"It shouldn't be called a problem, anata." She said softly. He snorted.  
  
"It is a problem. And we can't ignore it."  
  
"Hai."  
  
"You know what to do, don't you?"  
  
"Demo-"  
  
"This is not to be discussed. My decision is final." She bowed her head, looking down at the floor as she bit her lower lip. Seeing the sudden change, his expression softened. Dark eyes that were stormy just a few moments ago suddenly changed into a lighter hue.  
  
'Why does she always do this?' He thought, suppressing a sigh. But seeing the look on his beloved's face, his resolution dissolved.  
  
"Alright, we'll give it a try." He said in defeat. She looked at him with surprise and then the happiness was back in her face as she nodded her head enthusiastically.  
  
"You won't regret your decision, anata." She said warmly.  
  
"I better not." He half-growled, resting his head on the wall. She smiled softly, silently moving next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. The silent spectators were smiling knowingly at each other before nodding their heads and quietly slipping out of the room. It was time to leave the two alone.  
  
  


  
  
  
"It looks like some difficult times ahead, Serenity-hime." Pluto warned. Usagi scowled at the use of her title, but decided not to hold it against the Guardian of Time. This was serious business. She would have to reprimand Pluto with the use of the title at a later time.  
  
"So what do you think I should do?" She asked. Pluto paused to cast a glance at Haruka, who was watching the two carefully.  
  
"It is in my opinion, that in order for the senshi to rethink their actions, we will need to stage a disappearing scene for you." Pluto said calmly. However, as predicted, Haruka exploded.  
  
"WHAT? THERE IS NO WAY!" Bellowed the senshi of Uranus. Usagi sighed, sending a pleading glance at Michiru, who was having some difficulty keeping Haruka's temper in check.  
  
"Haruka-"  
  
"I WILL NOT ALLOW MY IMOUTO TO LEAVE MY SIDE!"  
  
"Uranus, this is for the safety of the Princess. She is well taken care of by-"  
  
"A GROUP OF CIVILIANS THAT DON'T HAVE ANY POWERS WHATSOEVER CANNOT-" But Haruka's tirade was cut off by one Princess who has had enough of the shouting.  
  
"Enough." Her voice was low, but there was no mistaken of the danger in her voice. The commanding tone of a leader and the regal voice of a Princess combined. Four pairs of eyes looked at her in surprise and the room was quiet once more.  
  
"Usagi-sama doesn't want us to fight, ne Usagi-sama?" Piped up the youngest of the senshi, the eight-year old senshi of Saturn. Usagi cast a loving gaze to the younger girl.  
  
"That is right, Hotaru. So far, you have been the most mature out of all of us." Usagi said, then glared at Haruka. "Onee-san, is your duty not to cast an example to the new generation?" She asked dryly.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Serenity-hime." But Usagi's glare intensified at the use of the title that Haruka immediately added, "Imouto."  
  
"I agree with Pluto's suggestion. The others doesn't seem to understand yet that they can very well survive without my help and vice versa. I will take that leave of absence." Usagi said firmly. Haruka was about to open her mouth to protest, but Michiru jabbed her in the ribs and threw her a glare. The senshi of Uranus remained silent.  
  
"I am pleased with the lack of protest." Usagi said with a nod. "Now we shall discuss the plot of this...disappearance of mine."  
  
"I have no plan as of now, I apologize." Confessed Pluto.  
  
"Neither have I." Michiru said. But a young voice spoke up,  
  
"I have an idea."  
  
"Do share it with us, little one." Pluto said, smiling at Hotaru.  
  


  
  
Wufei looked ready to kill Duo by the time the braided one finished telling Quatre his plan to get Usagi to go on a date with him. But as he continued on his murderous thought, his male chauvinistic ego was starting to kick in. So while Duo was bragging about his 'foolproof plan', Wufei was having an inner battle.  
  
'Kill Duo...Kill Duo...Find a way to kill baka Maxwell...' He thought, practically fuming.  
  
Why kill him? It's his business to go out with the onna! >  
  
'Kami-sama, not YOU again!'  
  
Hey! I'm your conscience you weakling! >  
  
'I am NOT weak! YOU are weak!'  
  
Hah! You're the one who's getting jealous over a weak onna! >  
  
'She's not weak! You saw it yourself!'  
  
So what if she can kick some weak-ass guy's ass? An onna is an onna! They're all weak! > The other side of him shouted. But the real Wufei frowned.  
  
'Meiran wasn't weak.' He pointed out.  
  
Meiran was different. This is onna is not Meiran. >  
  
'But there will never be another Meiran.'  
  
That's why, from now on, you will not like girls! >  
  
'WHAAAAT??? I'm not turning gay!'  
  
Ack! Baka! You've been spending too much time with Maxwell, now you're starting to sound like him! >  
  
'You're living a dangerous life. First you're telling me to turn gay and now you're telling me I'm like Duo.' He narrowed his eyes in anger.  
  
I don't mean for you to turn some shounen-ai feelings! All I meant is that you won't love any other girl after Meiran. >  
  
'You mean to live alone?'  
  
You are the solitary dragon. Live with it. >  
  
'My conscience is a bitch.'  
  
Watch it weakling! >  
  
'You watch it, onna!' And so the 'weak' bickering went on in Wufei's head, unnoticed by his fellow pilots.  
  


  
  
"Are you absolutely, positively certain this will work?" Usagi asked Pluto. The Guardian of Time smiled with amusement at her antics.  
  
"Usagi, don't you have faith in your senshi?"  
  
"Well yes...no...I mean, yes....I mean...Oh we'll see!" She said, waving her arm around in anxiety. She was pacing around the room again. Hotaru's plan seemed innocent enough and convincing. To fool the senshi.  
  
The problem with staging Usagi's disappearance is that it can't be an abduction because the senshi will go haywire and destroy half of Tokyo to find the 'evil doers' that kidnapped their Princess. There was also no way they can stage an argument scene with Usagi and one of the senshi and make her leave in a huff, there's bound to be one senshi or more following her. Hotaru's plan was simple and straight forward.  
  
The young senshi confessed that she had seen it on television just a few days before. If a magician can cover his tracks, why not the Moon Princess, who possess powers beyond anyone's imagination? Surely they can work something up. Now all they need is the audience. And they've got the perfect audience and the perfect place.  
  
Usagi had suggested herself that the disappearance takes place right in the middle of the arcade with the audience of the usual crowd of people that goes there. If Usagi can slip by them unnoticed, she'll be home free for three weeks. Three whole weeks without an overprotective sibling, worrying senshi and a stalker of an ex-boyfriend on her back. Freedom.  
  
But Usagi can't help but worry. After all, if this trick doesn't work, if the senshi even senses that she teleported, she'd be in deep trouble. So she has to rely on the team work of Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, Pluto and one special friend. (That friend's identity will remain a secret until further notice, which is probably pretty soon.)  
  
"Usagi?"  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"I think they're ready." Pluto said. Usagi nodded, taking in a deep breath. Pluto handed her a small key, which she took with shaking hands. "You will be fine, Princess." Usagi managed a shaky smile.  
  
"H-hai."  
  
"I've transferred your belongings. Your friends in the Kamiyakashin dojo knows of your arrival and will be waiting for you." Usagi nodded again. Pluto paused for a moment, then sighed. "Usagi, everything will be alright. You'll see."  
  
"Aa. I know." She said, giving a shaky smile. "But the idea of not being home for some time...however exciting it may be, I'm a little scared too." She confessed.  
  
"Although you trust Kenshin, Kaoru and the others, you still have other concerns too. About your identity, am I correct?" Asked Pluto.  
  
"Hai. Good observation, Pluto."  
  
"Actually, I had listened in to the conversation between Kaoru, Kenshin and Sanosuke, a couple of days ago."  
  
"I was wondering why you were suddenly so observant." Teased Usagi. Pluto shook her head but smiled at the light tease.  
  
  


  
  
  
Weak. >  
  
'Hn.'  
  
Oh, so you're copying Yui now? >  
  
'Shaddap.'  
  
Can't. Not unless you stop being weak! >  
  
'GO. TO. HELL.'  
  
I'd have to take you with me. >  
  
'I've had enough of you! Yes, women are weak! But I am not about to spend the rest of my life all by myself without no one to entertain me but YOU!'  
  
Get a hold of yourself, Chang. You're arguing with yourself. >  
  
'Well thankfully, that's something I don't have to do anymore! No more arguments, if Maxwell wants that onna...He'll have to go through me.'  
  
@_@ Nande kuso? Have you lost it completely? >  
  
'I'm feeling great as of now, so you can get lost.' Wufei had a triumphant smirk on his face after winning the battle between his real self and his stupid honor-bearing conscience. Duo can get some things, but the onna is the ONLY thing Maxwell will not get his hands on.  
  
"Not if I can help it." Wufei muttered, getting out of his seat. Duo and Quatre had left for the arcade, where they know Usagi would go to. They had asked Wufei whether he wanted to come along, but the Chinese was growling to himself that Quatre decided for both Duo and himself that it's best to leave him there with his 'thoughts'.  
  
"To hell with my conscience." He muttered, walking to the arcade. "Doesn't mean that I'm going to tell the onna what I feel though. I don't have a clue in hell what the heck I'm feeling."  
  


  
  
"Cross your fingers." Murmured Michiru as she and Hotaru waited patiently outside the arcade for any signs of Usagi. The Inner senshi were sitting around their usual table and even the Gundam pilots were there, two of them anyway. Michiru frowned slightly. From what she had seen in her Aqua mirror, the third should be there as well.  
  
Her silent query was answered when she saw the muttering assassin. She raised an eyebrow as he paused just a block before the arcade, barely making out the words, "Here we go." coming out of his mouth.  
  
"Michiru-mama, isn't that the one?" Hotaru asked, tugging lightly on Michiru's skirt. Michiru nodded, sea-green hair moving along with the slight breeze.  
  
"Hai, Hotaru-chan."  
  
"So...is Usagi-san going to..."  
  
"Hotaru, we'll leave that to the Princess." Michiru said firmly, a hint of warning in her voice at the young senshi. Hotaru nodded and kept quiet, knowing she shouldn't ask any more question. Not concerning this one pilot anyway, the very person who would determine their future. Whether or not the Crystal Tokyo that they knew would be created now depends on Wufei.  
  
That doesn't seem to be a comforting thought, now does it?  
  


  
  
"I'll be absolutely fine," whispered Usagi as she approached the arcade. "Have faith in Hota-chan's powers. She'll get you out of this without anyone noticing." Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped into the arcade. But no sooner did she step inside, she was greeted by a mass of chestnut hair.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Tsukino-san! Just the person I wanted to see!" The wide grin on Duo Maxwell's face simply refused to be ignored. Usagi suppressed the urge to groan.  
  
'Oh no! What does he want?' She thought to herself.  
  
"What is it that you want, Maxwell-san? A shield from Chang-san again?" Usagi said with a wry smile. She stole a glance at Wufei, who was standing behind Duo, an unreadable and stormy expression on his face. She blinked, puzzled at the look on his face.  
  
"No! Nothing like that Usagi...Can I call you Usagi?"  
  
"Sure, you can." She paused, eyes resting on the blonde standing next to Duo. "You're Quatre Winner aren't you?" She asked him. The blonde nodded.  
  
"Hai, Tsukino-san. I'm in your joint-music class."  
  
"Aa. I thought you looked familiar."  
  
"Anno, Usagi?"  
  
"Gomen Duo, what is it?"  
  
"Saa, I wanted to ask you whether or not-" He didn't even finished his sentence when Wufei cut him off completely.  
  
"Do you want to go out with me." Quatre's jaw dropped to the floor. Duo didn't seem to notice and started to nod.  
  
"Yes, I-Hey!" He turned and glared at Wufei, who glared defiantly back. Usagi stared with a look of wonderment on her face. By this time, the whole arcade was looking at them. The Inner senshi fast approaching the group. They had heard the whole conversation. The look on Rei and Makoto's faces promised certain deaths to the three male.  
  
"Chang-san, you asked Maxwell-san to ask me out for you?" Usagi asked, hiding the amusement from her voice. Wufei growled, seeing the teasing glint in her eyes.  
  
"Baka onna." He muttered. "He was going to ask you out, but I...don't think he deserves you. So I asked your first." He said, flushing as he finished his sentence. Usagi smiled, unable to hide her amusement any longer. Things sure have turned interesting all of a sudden.  
  
"So that's the only reason you're asking me out?" She asked.  
  
"N-nani? Wu-man! What the hell?" Protested Duo, who was obviously not amused with the exchange between the two. Although he was oblivious to the attraction between Usagi and Wufei.  
  
"Wufei...y-you..." Stuttered Quatre, unable to form a sentence, too deep in shock at the words coming out of the male chauvinist of the group. The person infamous for his "Women are weak!" comments and his strong ideas of "honor".  
  
"What the you mean 'what the hell'?"  
  
"I was going to ask her!"  
  
"Well I asked her first." Wufei bit back.  
  
"But this was suppose to be MY moment! I was finally going to ask this megami out on a date after three weeks of not even knowing her name!" Usagi blushed at the use of 'megami', which caused Wufei to turn slightly green with envy.  
  
"So? Do you have a point?"  
  
"Yes I do! There's no way you can go out with her!"  
  
"Really? And who are you to stop me?"  
  
"What the hell is going on?" A monotonous voice interrupted the quarrel.  
  
"Heero!" Exclaimed Quatre. "Can you please stop these two? They're both trying to take Usagi-san on a date and neither wants to back off!" The blonde seemed distressed, seeing the tension between his two friends. Having Wufei trying to kill Duo countless of times is bad enough, but having both men trying to kill each other...disaster.  
  
Heero looked at the two skeptically, before turning to look at Usagi. The girl met his gaze and there was a challenge that flashed in Heero's eyes for a moment. Usagi met it with a determined glare. After a long staring match between the two, some sort of understanding seem to have reached Heero's eyes and he looked away from her.  
  
"You're both trying to ask her out?"  
  
"Yes!" Exclaimed Duo. Wufei snorted, but nodded.  
  
"Who asked her first?"  
  
"Wufei did, but he knew I was going to ask her out today!" Protested Duo. Heero's eyes widened slightly at the revelation, but he quickly regained his 'Perfect Soldier' mask.  
  
"And neither of you wants to back off?"  
  
"No way." Duo said, shaking his head. Wufei's answer was to fold his arms to his chest and gave Heero a pointed glare.  
  
"There's only one way to settle this." Heero said, then shifted his gaze to Usagi. "Wait for her reply." All eyes were directed to Usagi at this moment. Not even her senshi spoke up. All of them were curious as to what Usagi would say.  
  
"Well?" Heero said. Usagi swallowed.  
  
"I have no idea how I got myself into this mess." She muttered to herself, then cleared her throat. "I don't know what the real situation is between Duo-san and Wufei-san...but to be absolutely honest, having two men ask me out at almost the same time..." She paused. "Do you really want to know the answer?" She asked.  
  
"Hai." Duo said with a nod.  
  
"Tell us, onna." Wufei said, earning him an accusing glare from the women around the arcade. But Usagi, however, smiled at his words. If there is one thing she can do very well, is reading someone by the looks in their eyes. And currently, Wufei's words doesn't match his eyes. Though his tone might be rude and his choice of words crude, there was an emotion there that he wouldn't say in front of everyone in the room.  
  
"Right now, in front of all this people?" Usagi asked again. "It'll definitely deflate someone's ego." She remarked. There was a collective snickering from the group. But the two men seemed to be anxious to know her answer. "Alright then."  
  
She looked at Duo. "Thank you for asking, Duo." Duo's grin widened and there was a brief flash of hurt in Wufei's eyes, before replaced by the cold, honorific look once more. But were they ever surprised to hear her next words. "But I think I'd rather go out with Wufei."  
  
(And that brought the whole house down. ^-^ ) 

Love me? Hate me? Tell me. Review!! 

More of Rurouni Kenshin characters next chapter. 


	3. Into the time warp

Author's Notes: Finally done! It's a little shorter than I anticipated, I apologize, but I'll try and make the next chapter longer. Thanks for reviews for the previous two chapters. Thanks especially to Usagi Asia Maxwell, who urged me to continue this and one particular story that I was about to give up on. Thank you very much!

Title: Reality Bites 

Chapter 3: Into the time warp 

Disclaimer: *sighs* Here we go again...I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon...are ya happy????

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" Usagi winced, knowing where the high-pitched shriek came from. Her 'small' audience consisting of the other former pilots, her friends, Motoki as well as the other customers, consisting mostly of boys, were staring dumbfounded at the scene that had unraveled before their eyes. 

"Mina, keep the decibels lower!" Exclaimed Makoto, hands over her ears. The blonde placed a hand over her mouth, but her eyes were wide with shock. Even Ami was gaping and Rei...was Rei. There was that overprotective stance that Haruka had often used. And Usagi saw clearly through the stormy eyes of the fire senshi. 

And then there were the shocked looks on the faces of the former pilots, the look on Wufei's face being the most comical. It looked as if the Chinese never expected that she would _prefer_ to go out with him. No, scratch that, he never expected that she would _want_ to go out with him at all. The expression on Duo's face was the second most comical, with his jaws hanging open and eyes wide with shock. It seemed as if she managed to deflate his ego after all. But the sight of the Perfect Soldier...if they all hadn't been so serious, she would have burst out laughing. Heero was reduced to a wide-eyed, mouth-gaping statue. Not at all the expressionless, emotionless perfect soldier that he claim himself to be. 

But of course, let us not forget the other customers, especially the group of guys who looked near tears. It was Usagi's turn to gape as they all bawled in one corner of the arcade. Apparently they all have been secretly pursuing the blonde (what else is new?) and were all gathering courage to ask her out. They must be half the men they seem to be, because they never found the courage to ask her and are now crying like babies to the fact that she had agreed to a date with Wufei.

It would be an understatement to state that everything's a little messed up at the moment. 

'Oh hell.' She thought to herself. 'There goes Hota-chan's plan.' So there was only one thing left to do really. Improvise. Now, what would Mamoru-baka do in times of this? Why was she relying on her ex-boyfriend's 'talents' for this? Because the little weasel can always get himself out of the tightest spot. Whether they be arguments or even just confrontations. 

"Well, now that I've entertained you all with my answer, I'm afraid that I must leave." She said smoothly, smiling. She was ready to choke herself using one of her 'odango'. Next thing you know, she'd pull out a rose and be dressed up in a tux and top hat.

"Hold on a minute, Usagi!" Rei cried out. But before the priestess could say anything, a gulf of smoke engulfed them all. It was virtually impossible to see a hand in front of your face. And in this commotion, Usagi slipped out of the arcade, thankful that Michiru had decided to go ahead with the plan after all. 

But although her ki was undetected by her own senshi, one former pilot managed to track it down. Or rather, sense it move. And in alarm, he too slipped out of the arcade. She walked not too far away, not even two blocks from the arcade in a quiet street. No one was around, the Outer senshi had made sure of that. 

Just then, a portal opened before her and from what Wufei's can see, she was sucked into the gaping hole. Eyes widening as the blonde disappeared from sight into the portal, he rushed forward and managed to fall through the portal just as it was about to close. 

And two senshi, standing on the rooftops could only watch with amazement at the turn of events. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about the Princess getting bored during her stay there." Saturn said quietly to the older woman. Pluto nodded her head, still amazed that she didn't forsee any of this.

The past, Tokyo, earlier...

"Busu, there's a letter for you!" Exclaimed Yahiko. Kaoru tightened her hold on her bokken, growling under her breath. Damn brat...

"I've told you a thousand times, _Yahiko-chan_, not to call me that!" She shouted in annoyance. The kid infuriated her. And though he was quickly turning fourteen, in her mind, he's still the kid. A maternal instinct, the sort where you refuse to acknowledge the fact that indeed your child has grown. But Kaoru can never tell him this of course. 

The letter was tossed in her direction, despite her protest of not throwing it. In turn she threw the bokken at the boy, hitting his spiky head. He cried out in pain and then cursed at her. That was where the line was drawn of course, name-calling was alright, but a curse wasn't.

"Yahiko." The voice was calm, yet stern. It was still friendly, yet not without an air of finality. Kenshin has that effect on people after all. The boy grumbled, but didn't say a word. Kenshin's words were orders and no one dare to defy the former hitokiri battousai. 

Kaoru frowned as she glanced at the letter. The writing seemed familiar, somehow, but she couldn't remember. When she opened the parchment, however, her whole face lit up. "It's from Misao." She said, telling both Kenshin and Yahiko. Sano hadn't yet roused from his slumber. It was probably somewhere between twelve and one o'clock, but he would be up in an hour or so. 

"What does Misao-dono say?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru sighed softly at the use of the suffix -dono. Old habits die hard she supposed, though she was thankful he never called her 'Kaoru-dono' anymore and instead stuck with 'Kaoru' or even sometimes, 'Kaoru-chan', whereas she uses 'anata' whenever she speaks to him. 

Of course, Sano and Megumi always make fun of this exchange of words from the former rurouni and tanuki. But there was no denying the tenderness in Kenshin's eyes when Kaoru says 'anata'. And there's no denying Kaoru's blushing face whenever Kenshin slips and calls her 'itooshii' either. 

Kaoru frown suddenly, eyes scanning the pages of the letter. "Kenshin, remember you mentioned about some woman in Kyoto with the name of Serenity?" 

Kenshin nodded, looking confused. "Hai, I do. What's the matter, itooshii?" Kaoru promptly blushed at the name, but continued on anyway. 

"Well, I sent a message to Misao to check on this person." Explained Kaoru. "And she just sent me something back." The frown never left her lips. 

"What does weasel girl have to say?" Asked Yahiko. 

"Yahiko, mind your manners." Chided Kaoru, frowning at the boy. "She won't say what it is, but insists that you go to Kyoto to 'check things out', as she put it." Kaoru looked up, worry in her eyes. "I'm not so sure if that's such a good thing." She handed the letter to Kenshin. 

He scanned the page quickly, a frown marring his features. When he finished reading, he looked up, pasting his usual rurouni smile. "Maybe I should go to Kyoto, just to make sure what's wrong." 

A flash of panic went through Kaoru, which didn't go unnoticed by the former rurouni. After all, the memories of Kyoto were still vivid in her mind. Despite the fact that they've gone there a few times before to visit Misao and Aoshi. But for Kenshin to go there alone? 

Yes, she still had fears of being left alone again. After all, Kenshin had left her to go to Kyoto once. It might happen again and this time, he might be gone for good. Luckily, however, that Kenshin noticed the look on her face. He reached out a calloused hand to gently stroke her cheek. 

"Don't worry, itooshii, I'll come straight home." He whispered tenderly, drawing a soft smile from her. 

"Aa, I know." She whispered back. There _is_ a difference this time, she thought, he's finally acknowledging the Kamiya dojo as his home. 

The tender moment was broken, however, at the guttural sound that came distinctively from Yahiko. The younger boy was rolling his eyes and making gagging noises. "It's too early in the morning! Would you stop it with the lovey-dovey stuff already?" 

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" She said challengingly. "As opposed to the 'lovey-dovey stuff' you and Tsubame were doing in the early morning yesterday?" All color drained from Yahiko's face, only to be replaced by a deep blush on his cheeks as he stammered a curse with ill effects and met by a smug look from Kaoru and one exclamation from the former-rurouni. 

"Oro!" But it was a loud booming voice that caught Yahiko's attention. 

"Good going Yahiko-chan! Always knew you had it in you!" 

"Looks like rooster head is awake." Muttered Kaoru, rolling her eyes. She took a hold of her bokken and swung it around, narrowly missing Sano's head. 

"Oi! Watch it Jou-chan!" Exclaimed Sanosuke. "If I didn't know any better I would have thought that you're upset with me or something." 

Kaoru smiled sweetly at Sano's words. "Now what makes you say that Sanosuke? The fact that you woke up past noon? Or maybe the fact that you left a big mess in the dojo yesterday? Or maybe the fact that you came home late last night...again?" 

"First of all, you've never complained about my sleeping habits before. Second, Kenshin cleaned the mess and NOT you, so you shouldn't worry your pretty little head. And third, I didn't come home late AGAIN." Sano said, pointing at Kaoru. 

"I heard that Megumi closed the practice today. Something about not feeling too well herself." Kaoru said, the implications clear enough for everyone in the room. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sano said, but Kenshin noticed a faint blush that was slowly covering his cheeks. Or maybe it's just the heat? 

"Maa, maa, Sanosuke...Kaoru-itooshii. I think that we have other matters to talk about." As always, saved by the rurouni. Kaoru resisted the urge to sigh. No matter what happens, Kenshin will still be Kenshin. And thank the Gods for that. 

"About the letter Jou-chan got from weasel girl, ne?" 

"You were eavesdropping again." It wasn't even a question, as Kaoru sent an accusing glare at Sano. 

"Hey, I was going to come in, but the weather is too good." 

"So you figured listening in to our conversation was alright." 

"Yup!" 

"I'm not even going to start." Kaoru said, sighing this time. 

Later on that day...

Taking a carriage was definitely much faster than walking. And knowing Kaoru's anxiety with him traveling just about anywhere, Kenshin decided that perhaps it would be best if he takes the shortest route and fastest mode of transport. Besides, he would be meeting Misao and Aoshi halfway. 

Misao didn't mention any of it in the letter, but knowing Aoshi, there must be something up. Kenshin had sent the word by a pigeon messenger just yesterday and the local post office already received a reply? It was unusual. 

His train of thoughts was broken when he noticed that the carriage was slowing down. His hand was ready at the hilt of his sword when he heard light footsteps on top of the carriage. But instead, he got a slight shock when the blinds of the carriage were thrown open and a smiling Misao Makimachi peered inside. 

"Himura!" She exclaimed, lunging at the former hitokiri with full force.

"Oro oro oro!" 

"Three 'oro' at once? Yes! Beat my last record!" The weasel girl announced excitedly. 

"Misao-dono?" 

"Aoshi-sama figured that you'd take this route, so we waited for you." Explained Misao, motioning to the figure just a few feet away. As Kenshin peeked over Misao's shoulder, he could make out the outline of the swordsman. 

"And guess what? We've got someone you might know along with us too!" Misao dragged the half-confused Kenshin out of the carriage. Throwing apologetic looks at the frightened driver of the carriage, Kenshin allowed himself to be dragged by the younger girl. 

And found his eyes widening at the person he came face-to-face with. He was facing the ever-smiling swordsman prodigy, Seta Soujirou. Soujirou waved at him, despite being just inches away from Kenshin's face, the smile he never fails to wear tight in its place. 

"Soujirou!" 

"Himura-san, pleased to meet you again!" Through his eyes, however, Kenshin could see the change in the young man since their duel long ago. Yes, his 'mission' to Kyoto to be rid of Makoto Shishio seemed so long. 

"I've heard from Cho that you've been wandering around Japan." Kenshin said.

"Hai! I am! But Aoshi-san and Misao-san made me an offer I couldn't refuse." 

Kenshin turned to look at Aoshi, who was still in the same position Kenshin had seen him earlier, leaning against a tree. "Does this have to do with what you had Misao write in her letter, Aoshi?" 

"Quite." 

"We'll tell you on our way, Himura." Misao said, dragging Kenshin along the way. 

"Nani? But where are we going?" 

"You'll see!" Chirped Misao, leading the pact of three swordsmen, whistling a happy tune. But as she leads on, both she and Soujirou missed the smile that passed on Aoshi's lips as he watched the cheerful girl. Kenshin, being dragged by the back of the collar of his gi, was the only witness to this miracle. 

About the same time, in the outskirts ... 

Usagi tumbled out of the portal, falling flat on her back. She cursed under her breath and picked herself off the ground. "Why can't Pluto fix that stupid thing? I always end up landing on either my back or my butt!" She exclaimed to no one in particular. 

And just as she picked through her things, thrown into the portal seconds before she went in herself, her eyes widened as another form burst out of the portal. Their bodies impacted against each other. She groaned, body aching all over and heard another groan...a MALE voice! 

Her eyes flew open and she found herself looking into an endless abyss of onyx orbs, which blinked down at her. It was then that the voice and the face clicked together to form a name. 

Wufei. 

They scrambled off of each other, blushing madly as they struggled to their feet. Usagi's reply to Heero's question might have come out as nonchalant in the arcade, but in truth, Usagi was ready to sink into the ground and die when Heero asked the straightforward question. Ah well, what can you expect from the Perfect Soldier? 

Which brings us to...how the HELL did he get here???? 

"W-what are you doing here?" Stammered Usagi. Wufei, who had been dusting off his black pants, stopped and raised an eyebrow. 

"I saw you fall into that portal and-" He paused, looking around frantically for something.

"What?" 

"Kuso! The portal's gone!" He exclaimed. Usagi frowned and cocked her head to the side, as if asking herself whether or not he's lost his sanity.

"Well, it can't exactly be open the whole time you know." Usagi said simply. For a second, Usagi thought the Chinese was about to explode. But instead, he stared at her with mouth slightly open and a dazed expression on his face. 

'He looks cute.' Usagi thought. And that was about as far as she went with that thought before Wufei blew up. 

"WHAT????" He shouted. "How the hell can you stand there and be calm?" 

"Easy, I practice the art of B-R-E-A-T-H-I-N-G." 

Wufei was in panic mode. Mobile dolls he can handle, any OZ prototype, any OZ soldier...Hell, anyone that can be considered dangerous! But magic portals? He's never even given magic a thought, let alone think of whether or not portals are good or bad. Why the hell did he jump through anyway? 

'I remember.' He thought silently, finding some sanity in remembrance of his last minute action. He was there to save her. Well, some rescue party this was going to be. 'Baka onna.' He thought to himself, but there was nothing menacing about the thought. For some reason, the 'onna' could even be regarded as a nickname from the way Wufei was thinking about it.

"Are you alright, Wufei?" Usagi asked, waving a hand in front of his face. His scowl was back on. 

"Of course not! Where the hell are we?" He demanded. Usagi flinched slightly, mostly because of the question, but Wufei misinterpreted the wince, thinking it was because of his tone. "Ah, gomen." He muttered. 

Usagi blinked and blinked again. 

"Did you just apologize, Wufei?" She asked, peering carefully at him. 

"I'm not repeating myself!" He snapped, and then cursed silently. 'Idiot! Great way to win her over, snapping at her all the time, even when you're trying to _apologize_.' But to his surprise, the girl smiled brilliantly back. 

"Ne, Fei-kun, I know I have a lot to explain...but why not have some lunch first, OK?" She suggested, pulling a bento box seemingly out of nowhere. It was Wufei's turn to blink, but he nodded. 

"So...we're in the past?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Usagi cringe in mid-bite of her sushi. 

'Great, now he must think I'm insane or something.' She thought miserably, as Wufei regarded his surrounding. He _was_ picking up some strange ki around the place, like something's out of place. How could he not believe her? He could sense that she was telling the truth and besides, he had just tumbled through a magic portal. There was nothing that he didn't believe anymore. Oh...and she did provide him food for his starving stomach.

"How far in the past?" Wufei asked, getting up. He walked slowly to the hill, overlooking the bustling of Edo below. "From the looks of things down there...I'll guess, pre-Meiji?" He paused, sharp eyes making out the streets and even catching the uniform of a local police. "Ah, post-Meiji Restoration." He corrected himself. 

"Y-you believe me?" Stammered Usagi. Wufei turned around to raise an eyebrow at her. 

"What's not to believe? Besides, I know my history and there's no way there could be a town looking like that anywhere in Japan." Wufei said. "Do you have a place to stay here though?" 

Usagi grinned. "Hai. I know some people here." She stopped for a moment, frowning. "Although I'm not sure what Kaoru-chan will think if I brought a stranger along with me though." Wufei snorted. 

"Just say that I'm a distant cousin." 

"A distant _Chinese _cousin?" Usagi pointed out. Wufei rolled his eyes, and then paused. An idea was forming in his head. 

Oh hell, he couldn't possibly...could he? He looked at Usagi for a moment, trying to hold back a blush. "Maybe, you could say..." 

"NANI???????????????????" The people of Edo looked up at the shrill cry, but life went on as usual. Must be some woman screaming at her husband... 

I've added Soujirou into the group! Yup, yup! Why is Soujirou-kun here? Well, I never got the chance to ever finish Kyoto arc in Rurouni Kenshin and just two days ago, I finally did. (Actually, I own the entire series now. *grins*) Was anyone as sad as I was about the outcome? I mean, I felt *so* sorry about Yumi. And Soujirou too, that's probably what made me promote him to my fave character. I have this thing with guys with messed up past. Though I usually go for the guys most people overlook (eg. Wufei from Gundam Wing [definitely not as popular as Heero or Duo], Ken from Weiss Kreuz, Soujirou from Rurouni Kenshin and Yuuhi from Ayashi no Ceres [definitely not as popular as Tooya]) 

Now, what do you suppose Wu-chan said to Usa? *grins* Please, please, please review! *pouts* Make Aya-chan happy! Review!


	4. Serenity

Reality Bites

Chapter 4 – Serenity

by Aya (gaiaya@hotmail.com)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters!

This chapter is dedicated to my friend "Seffie" (See? I didn't use your name!) and the reviewers.

xxxxxEn route to Kyotoxxxxx

Kenshin glanced at his companions, more precisely, at the smiling prodigy that was walking along beside him. Soujirou had been wandering for about three years ever since Shishio's demise. Kenshin, knowing too well what it's like to be a rurouni, wondered what kind of places this young man visited. And how Misao managed to track him down.

The weasel girl however, was happily chatting beside Aoshi, who on first glance doesn't seem to take notice of her. But Himura Kenshin had always been excellent at catching details, his instincts were sharp, as required for an assassin. Therefore, he didn't miss the slight curl at the end of Aoshi's lips as Misao chattered on about an incident that apparently occurred when she was doing her morning strolls.

"They certainly seem comfortable with each other, _ne_, Himura-san?"

"Aa. It seems so, de gozaru yo." He caught the slip, as soon as it came out of his mouth. He cringed and half-expected a shrill cry of reprimand to follow, before he blinked and then realized that Kaoru was nowhere near where they were at the moment. Kaoru had single-handedly stopped the former rurouni's habit of ending his sentences with "de gozaru" and calling his female companions with "dono." One habit that she couldn't stop, however, was his habit of using "sessha." But as Megumi pointed out, every man has his flaws.

"Ah, are you alright, Himura-san?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you for your concern." He replied, bowing his head. There was more silence as they kept walking, watching as Aoshi replied to one of Misao's questions, eliciting a giggle from the girl...no...Kenshin's smile grew slightly sad as he realized it. Misao is nineteen, no longer a girl then.

"Do you wonder where the time has gone, Himura-san?" Soujirou's soft, feminine voice drew him out of his reverie. Blinking a couple of times, he focused his gaze on the still smiling prodigy.

"Yes, I do. A lot of times." He admitted.

"Time flows much faster when you are wandering, as I am sure you know only too well." Soujirou said, smile softening slightly.

"How was your journey?" 

"It broadened my horizons. And, I was able to reflect on my younger years, by Shishio's side." His gaze slowly turned upwards, looking at the canopy and the sunlight that managed to filter through the thickness of leaves and branches.

A hand on his shoulder brought his gaze back to the crimson haired man who was once one of the most feared assassins in all of Japan. Kenshin smiled warmly, encouragingly at the much younger swordsman.

"I'm glad you found yourself, Soujirou." He said solemnly. Soujirou's eyes widened slightly at his words, but his smile broadened and he nodded his head.

"So am I."

xxxxKamiya-Himura Dojoxxxxx

Usagi bit her lip, looking at the building in front of her with trepidation. Her companion however, was glowering both at her and at the building. He was getting impatient and this waiting around wasn't helping him.

"Woman, make up your damn mind, will you?" He snapped. A sharp blue gaze was directed at him and Wufei found out first hand that Usagi could shift from friendly to fearsome in a matter of seconds.

"This is not easy for me, you know!" She exclaimed, cheeks burning slightly. Realizing what was making her so uncomfortable, Wufei could feel his own cheeks beginning to burn.

"You think I'm enjoying this?" He demanded. She gritted her teeth and crossed her arms, full on glaring this time.

"May I remind you that I'm not the one who was arguing with my friend over a certain girl, just an hour or so ago?"

Yes, Wufei could feel all of the blood rushing to his head, his cheeks were so hot, he swore he would have burn his fingers if he touched them. Seeing Wufei's obvious discomfort, Usagi softened slightly. It was her fault that he was in this mess in the first place.

And if he knew that they would be stuck here for six months...Usagi cringed. No, she better wait for the right moment to tell him that.

"Look, I'm sorry." Usagi said softly. "It's just that I'm very nervous at the moment and I get snappy when I'm nervous."

"It doesn't matter." Wufei said shortly, looking away. What was he thinking anyway? Why fight with Maxwell for this girl he barely knew? Why fight against a comrade, someone he would trust his life with—although he would rather paint his Gundam pink and dance in a tutu than admit that to Duo—for a girl that he met purely by chance and hadn't a clue about.

Before his thoughts could drag on, however, an unknown female voice spoke up.

"Usagi-san?" He could hear Usagi swallowing.

"K-Kaoru-san!" She exclaimed, trying desperately to hide her anxiety by feigning her cheerful tone. "I apologize for coming so early!" Wufei watched this girl with sharp eyes.

Kaoru wasn't in her usual obi, as she had been teaching Yahiko. She carried a bokken in one hand, while the other was planted firmly on her hip. Her smile was friendly, but Wufei detected some suspicion in her gaze when she looked over at him. It was quickly concealed, he had to give her credit for that, at least.

"Who is your friend?" Ah, the dreaded question, prompting both party involved to blush. Kaoru raised an eyebrow but waited patiently for an answer.

"Eeto, Kaoru-san...this is Chang Wufei." Usagi said carefully, wishing the damn blush would just go away. "My husband." Kaoru's blue eyes were as big as saucers when the words finally registered in her mind.

"You never mentioned that you are married, Usagi-san!" Kaoru exclaimed, face flushed with excitement as she looked happily from Usagi to Wufei. "Come on in! Pleased to meet you, Chang-san!"

"It's just Wufei, ojou-san." Wufei murmured politely, cringing on the inside at how polite he was acting to the woman. But he knew he had to be polite to her, else he'd be thrown out in the street in this strange place.

"I'll have to tell Yahiko to get a bigger futon." Kaoru said happily, drawing sharp intakes of breath from both Usagi and Wufei.

"Ah, that's alright, Kaoru-san." Usagi said hastily. "We can sleep with separate futons!"

"Nonsense!" Exclaimed Kaoru, still smiling. "We have one big enough. We have it for cases like this." She paused, looking at both of them. "Unless...ah, I shouldn't ask you that. Forgive me."

Usagi was bright red by the time they finally reached inside of the house and Wufei didn't look any better. They exchanged glances. Usagi was silently pleading Wufei to do something to solve this problem. The Chinese merely glared, indicating he hadn't a clue how to talk to Kaoru to get them two futons, instead of one big one.

xxxxxPresentxxxxx

"Any sign of her?" Asked Rei, sounding worried.

"No." Whispered Mina, shaking her head. To say that they were worried would be an understatement, yet the four senshi couldn't help but be worried. It wasn't everyday that their Princess would just up and disappear, right before their eyes!

"Where's Mako?"

"Makoto is still looking, she said she should be back soon." Told Ami.

"What went wrong? Was she unhappy or something?" Mina asked softly. "I know she's been distracted about something."

"I've noticed it too." Rei said, albeit reluctantly.

"I think we all did, but we just didn't do anything about it. But that's only because we all thought it would be best if we left Usagi alone." Ami said, diplomatically.

"Yeah." Mina said, her mood picking up slightly. "Maybe Pluto gave her some sort of vacation or something?" The other two were reluctant to agree, not knowing how close Mina's words were to the truth.

"You guys!" All three looked up, seeing Makoto running towards them. The tall brunette arrived at their side rather breathless.

"Anything?"

"I can't find her anywhere." Seeing the dejected looks the others wore, Mako smiled brilliantly. "I did find out something interesting, though."

"What?"

"Remember those group of guys at the arcade?"

"Oh, you mean the ones that were fighting over Usagi?"

"That's the one!"

"What about them?"

"I overheard two of them talking about something. They looked like they were worried about something, or someone, so I thought I'd find out what's up."

"Get to the point, Mako." Snapped Rei.

"Sheesh." Mako scowled, but continued anyway. "Looks like the guy Usagi picked is missing too." Three pairs of eyes widened. Minako broke the silence first by bursting out laughing and pretty soon, all four girls were giggling like co-conspirators.

Setsuna hid her smile behind her cup of coffee, as currently, Haruka and Michiru were engaged in a _debate_. They had insisted that it wasn't an argument, for Hotaru's sake, but it was clear to Setsuna what exactly was going on. As much as she disliked laughing at other people's misfortunes, a fight between Michiru and Haruka are always so amusing.

First of all, it should be made absolutely clear that their roles in the relationship are different. It might seem like a no-brainer to some, but when they see one Michiru Kaioh giving one Haruka Tenoh a piece of her mind, they would understand it completely.

Haruka, like any male in her shoes, would eventually back down. Of course, the main point here is eventually.

Second thing is, their fight can last quite a while, because Haruka is stubborn. But Michiru, the normally soft-spoken senshi, does lose her temper. It's quite rare and only a couple of people have seen it, but when she does...

All hell breaks loose.

Hotaru was sitting next to Setsuna, contemplating the situation. The young girl seemed agitated, anxious. She didn't like it when her Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama fight. And Setsuna-mama was too distracted to do anything.

But what could she possibly do? Despite her status as a senshi, there really wasn't much that she can do or say. Respecting her elders is very important after all. 

"Is there something wrong, Hota-chan?" Setsuna asked, as she took a sip of her coffee. The purple-haired senshi thought the question over for a few moments, before turning to the elder senshi.

"Why are Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama fighting?"

"Because of the Princess."

"Why?"

"Because Haruka-papa doesn't think that we should leave her alone at a time like this." Hotaru frowned.

"Why?"

"Because she think it's too dangerous for the Princess to be alone."

"And what does Michiru-mama think?"

"She thinks the Princess deserves a little time off." Hotaru paused for a moment, staring at the two senshi who were in the midst of an argument. Actually, it would be more correct to say that Michiru is in the middle of an argument, as all Haruka was doing was stare at the wall and listen, looking quite disgruntled.

"Setsuna-mama?"

"Yes, Hota-chan?"

"I think Michiru-mama is right." Setsuna smiled, setting her cup down on the table.

"You know what, sweetheart?" Setsuna paused, brushing some strands of dark purple hair from the youngest senshi's eyes. "I think so too." And the conversation was at an end. Haruka was the only one displeased with the situation, but there was nothing she could do about it.

After all, three against one hardly seems fair, don't you agree?

xxxxxLocation Unknownxxxxx

A woman in her mid-twenties sat in the middle of a small bedroom, looking out of the open door. The weather was perfect, a great time to be outside, taking a walk and enjoying the weather.

Her pale features, however, indicate that she rarely ventures very far from her home and her frail beauty showed that it is her condition that made her unable to afford such luxuries as a walk. She coughed softly, wincing slightly, a pale hand clutching the front of her obi.

"Serenity-sama?" A voice called out. She looked up suddenly, silver hair cascading from the loose knot on top of her head. The servant shuffled inside, smiling warmly at her.

"I was wondering where you are!" She exclaimed, kneeling behind the lady. "Let me fix that for you." She wasted no time, pulling out a brush and beginning to brush the long silver locks.

"Has my husband returned?" The servant stopped mid-brush, swallowing slowly.

"No, he hasn't." She said solemnly, feeling the lady's disappointment, even though the lady didn't let it be known through words. The servant could see it by the slight droop of the shoulders.

"I'm sure he'll come back soon, Serenity-sama!" She exclaimed once more, putting up a happy front so the lady will no longer be sad. Or at least, distract her long enough to forget for a while.

"Minako-san?" 

"Yes Serenity-sama?"

"How is your husband?"

"Duo is fine, my lady!" Chirped the happy servant. "The Gods have been merciful to us this year and he's finally able to keep the job for once!" And then she went on to rant about her incompetent of a husband. The lady smiled, some color returning to her cheeks. She was awfully fond of Minako, the servant's cheerful attitude always made the days bearable somehow.

"There! All done!" Minako said, finally, startling the lady out of her reverie. She looked to her right, where a mirror was propped up and saw her reflection. A smile stole across her lips as she recognized the hairstyle that Minako gave her.

Her hair parted in two and then rolled up to two different globes on top of her head. The first time her husband saw the hairstyle he had laughed and teased her about it, yet his tone was gentle, indicating that he actually liked it.

"I'm sure Master will come home soon, Serenity-sama." Minako whispered softly, patting the lady on the shoulder.

"Thank you Minako."

Late, I know, I know. I can't help it, sorry, but my life is hectic. Education and friends are my two priorities. Actually, the sheer amount of work I've been handed the past semester is the reason why I **shouldn't** apologize for this delay. If you want to blame anyone, blame my professors. Besides, balancing schoolwork and salvaging a friendship takes its toll.

*sighs* I should apologize to those of you who were very kind enough to review. I love your feedback, I seriously do. In fact, they're the reasons why I'm still continuing with this fic even though my life is utterly shit at the moment. I apologize if I seem rude, but my mood's been changed rather drastically. 

*bows*

On a lighter note, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed for the last chapter, they meant a lot, honestly.

Usagi Asia Maxwell – Can I just call you Asia-san? -_-; Your penname is so long! Such enthusiastic response, gotta love it! LOL!

Zaeria – Your questions will be answered in due time. So as for now, I'll leave you guessing! I'm evil, I know! ^_-

Oracle of the Stars – If I had this kind of reaction every time I write, I just might write faster. *hint hint, wink wink*

Tenshi-Hotaru – lol. That was the idea, I was wondering whether or not everyone caught that.

If you please, disregard my little rant above and just tell me what you think of this chapter. Sorry for sounding like a brat, but I get bad days too, you know? ^^;

Any theories? Anyone? Raise your hand if you're confused! Raise TWO hands if you think this story has no plot whatsoever! lol. Aya-chan lives off reviews. Feed Aya?


End file.
